Fundraising is how we fund the Troop's yearly expenses. Things like the electric bill, maintenance, and patches from the scout shop are things that we have to have. We realize that many of you are involved in other activities as well, with their own funding needs. To make our fundraising the best experience possible we have added some incentives and the Old North State Council has added some as well. Please read the details below on the incentives and how your scout can learn and grow through fundraising.

Those of you who came from Pack 65 in the last few years know that we instituted Scout Accounts to encourage fundraising to help pay for your scouting expenses. Nationally, units using this method have traditionally had stronger programs with less turnover of youth. Pack 65 can attest to those results, being the highest sellers in the Alamance District last year!

Our unit will get 30% of our total popcorn sales as profit. The Pack gives 10% back to the scout in their account. We are going to do the same thing for this year's sale to see how it goes. If our fundraising is as successful as I hope it will be then we will up that amount next year. We are not asking for you to sell a minimum amount of product, but the more you sell the less out of pocket expenses you will have to cover!

There are many benefits to using Scout Accounts:

1. Scouts learn self-reliance - success comes from from your own hard work, not from taking from others.
2. Scouts learn to plan for financial goals such as summer camp, trips, equipment, and uniforms.
3. Scouts learn life skills of personal management through life experiences not lectures.
4. A Scout is more likely to attend if he paid for the event through his own work.
5. A Scout is more likely to stay in Scouts if he has earned the funds he needs for the activities he wants to do.
   

I will share more details soon about how to access the Scout Accounts, but for now get your Scout excited about earning their own way by fundraising for the Troop. People want to support them in their Scouting activities, they just need to be asked!

At each Troop meeting our popcorn chair is rewarding the scout who has the most sales so far. These rewards are usually something the boys love - bubble gum and sweets!

On top of the rewards you will earn from Trails-End, Troop 65 will reward our top popcorn salesman with a Jetboil stove. Perfect for backpacking, it can heat water to a boil in under 3 minutes!

OR

$75.00 credit in your Scout Account to go towards dues, equipment, camps, etc...

I wanted to share a couple of resources for information regarding the process of becoming an Eagle Scout.

First, here is a link to the official requirements:
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/eagle.aspx

Troop 65 has several leaders who have guided boys to Eagle through the years. Our current Eagle Coordinators are Assistant Scoutmaster Baker and former Scoutmaster and Committee Chair Mr. McBride. They have both worked with many of our Eagle Scouts and have a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

Finally, plan to attend this week's Boy Scout Roundtable meeting in Burlington! The Boy Scout Roundtable will focus on Life to Eagle, so Scouts and parents of Scouts that are either Star or Life rank should plan to attend. The program is designed to help Eagle candidates with developing and submitting a plan for their Eagle Scout leadership project.  (Note: The process has changed over the last year and a half.) Come out and get your questions answered about how to select a suitable project and get it accepted.  The presenter, Stuart Brandt, has assisted MANY a scout with this process and says that he has NEVER had a project turned down. The Roundtable is held this Thursday, October 11 at 7:00pm. The location is Macedonia Lutheran Church - 421 West Front Street;  Burlington, North Carolina 27215.

Here are three opportunities for our Scouts to earn Merit Badges in the next few months! Citizenship in the Community (Eagle required), Fire Safety, and Environmental Science. These are all offered at NO COST and space is limited so sign up right away!

Email Amber Honeycutt to register for these classes: threescoutsmama@yahoo.com